ISSN 0915-3160

通巻百三十三号

No.

1Vol. 34 January 2022
Winter

Ne w Yea r Me ssage s

From the Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications,
Secretary-General of ITU, President of ITU-AJ
S pec i a l Feat u re

Local 5G Rollout

Co-creation Activities through “LOCAL 5G OPEN LAB”
Opening the Future of Private 5G through Collaboration
Fujitsu’s Private 5G Initiatives
Mori Building 5G Plan

New Breeze Vol. 34 No.1 Winter

New Breeze

January 2022

C O N T E N T S

ISSN 0915-3160

Quarterly of The ITU Association of JapanBN Gyoen Bldg., 1-17-11 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku,
Tokyo 160-0022 Japan
Tel: +81-3-5357-7610 Fax: +81-3-3356-8170

https://www.ituaj.jp/?page_id=310
Editorial Committee

		 New Year Messages
1

Minister KANEKO’s 2022 New Year’s Greeting3

Welcoming in the New Year

2

New Year Message from the ITU Secretary-General—Bringing the Benefits of Digital Transformation to All—		 Special Feature — L
 ocal 5G Rollout

Chairman: Wataru Kameyama
Members: Ministry of Internal Affairs andCommunications, Association of Radio Industries
and Businesses, Communication Line Products
Association of Japan, Fujitsu Limited, Hitachi, Ltd.,
Japan Broadcasting Corporation,
KDDI CORPORATION, Mitsubishi Electric
Corporation, National Institute of Information andCommunications Technology, NEC Corporation,
NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONECORPORATION, Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd.,
Panasonic Corporation, Softbank Corp.,
Sony Group Corporation,
The Japan Commercial Broadcasters Association, and
The Telecommunication Technology Committee

4

Co-creation Activities through “LOCAL 5G OPEN LAB”

13

Mori Building 5G Plan

8

Opening the Future of Private 5G through Collaboration
Fujitsu’s Private 5G Initiatives

		Report
17

Overview of the 2021 White Paper on Information andCommunications

Publisher: Tetsuo Yamakawa
Editors:

Junichi Kishimoto
Naoko Ishida
Mariko Shimizu

Letters to New Breeze

New Breeze welcomes readers’ opinions. Please sendcomments with your name, address, and nationalityby e-mail, fax, or post to the editor.

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About ITU-AJ
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The ITU Association of Japan (ITU-AJ) was founded on September 1, 1971, tocoordinate Japanese activities in the telecommunication and broadcasting sectors
with international activities. Today, the principle activities of the ITU-AJ are tocooperate in various activities of international organizations such as the ITU and todisseminate information about them. The Association also aims to help developing
countries by supporting technical assistance, as well as by taking part in generalinternational cooperation, mainly through the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT),
so as to contribute to the advance of the telecommunications and broadcasting
throughout the world.

Minister KANEKO’s 2022 New Year’s Greeting

KANEKO Yasushi

Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications

H

appy New Year to all!

In October last year, I assumed the position of
Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC)
handles wide ranging policy related to the daily lives of people
in Japan, such as local economies, fire departments, informationand communications, the postal system, and statistics. We are
putting every effort into accelerating digital reform of all ofsociety, building revitalized communities, and building national
resiliency with disaster prevention and mitigation, while also
working steadily to realize the “Digital Garden City National
Concept,” a priority initiative of Prime Minister Kishida.
At the end of last year, a supplementary budget wasestablished, for economic measures based on four main themes.
These include initiating a “new capitalism” and ensuring safety
and security for all citizens. We will work hard, with a sense ofurgency, to advance these initiatives.
Toward digital reform of all of society, we are putting every
effort into realizing the “Digital Garden City National Concept,”
lead by the “MIC Digital Garden City National Concept
Promotion Office.”
Implementing a digital garden city nation will require thedigital infrastructure to be consolidated in all regions, anddigitalization of administration.
Initiatives we will work on include full integration of 5G
networks (fifth-generation mobile communication systems)in regional and urban areas; promotion of “Local 5G,” which
will contribute to solving regional issues; consolidation of
infrastructure such as optical fiber, which will help revitalize
regional areas and reduce the disparity with urban areas; relocationof data centers, which are extremely centralized around Tokyo, in
regional areas; and completion of the “Digital Garden City Super
Highway,” a network that will surround Japan with domestic
submarine optical cables.
We w il l a lso continue to st udy information andcommunication policy, including directions for markets andtechnical development.
Regarding mobile telephone services, we will continue tobuild an environment with competition among operators, withinitiatives to smooth the transition to lower-cost plans, among
others.
To consolidate 5G and other digital infrastructure quickly, we
will be studying ways for allocating new frequencies for mobile

phone use, including examples from various other countries.
To ensure the efficacy of regulations regarding foreign
investment in the information and communications field, MIC
will quickly consolidate the necessary regulations, including
the final proposals from the upcoming experts meeting, so that
foreign-investment compliance conditions can be understoodand verified, and so that operators and others can comply withthe regulations reliably. At the same time, we will also study the
future of broadcasting and broadcasting systems in the digital era,
including the rapid changes in broadcasting environments, such as
the spread of video viewing over the internet.
To secure a safe and reliable cyberspace, we are increasing
efforts to build environments for analyzing cyber-security
information and for training personnel, while also promoting
security measures taken by telecommunications operators. We
are also advancing comprehensive policies to deal with slander
and defamation on the internet, promoting platform-operator
efforts to delete it, preparing to enact revised regulations onprovider responsibilities, and enhancing educational efforts andconsultation systems.
We will invest even more into research and developmentof advanced technologies such as Beyond 5G, which will bring
low-power digital infrastructure in the future and also quantum
encrypted communication and AI, continuing to bring together
public and private knowledge. We will also use the Beyond 5G
New Business Strategy Center, comprising industry, government
and academia, to obtain intellectual property rights and topromote international standardization.
With changes in the global environment, it is necessary
to guarantee Japan’s economic security, to strengthen ourinternational competitiveness, and to forge deeper international
cooperation.
To achieve these, we will engage in policy dialog to cultivate
shared understanding on issues such as the use of AI andcirculation of data, and will promote international development of
MIC’s superior technologies and services such as 5G, submarine
optical cables, broadcast content, the postal system, fire-fighting,administrative consultation, and statistics.
Please accept my New Year’s greeting, wishing everyone healthand great happiness in the coming year!
New Year's Day, 2022

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New Year Message from the ITU Secretary-General—Bringing the Benefits of Digital Transformation to All—

Houlin Zhao

Secretary-General
International Telecommunication Union

D

ear Friends of ITU in Japan,
This past year has been full of challenges, from
coping with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic toaddressing the increasingly devastating impacts of climate change.
Information and communication technologies (ICTs) haveemerged as a powerful source for good, with an unprecedented 4.9
billion people using the Internet in 2021. ICTs have changed ourlives and societies forever, but we must never forget all those who
remain offline and are still left behind.
The UN Secretary-General himself has challenged theworld to achieve affordable, universal connectivity by 2030. It isa huge challenge – one that will require a new strategy for ICT
development, especially when it comes to investments in digital
infrastructure in underserved areas.
Investment in infrastructure sits at the center of my strategy
for ICT development, based on four pillars: Infrastructure,
Investment, Innovation and Inclusiveness. I have stressed theimportance of these “4 I’s” at major global venues with world
leaders since the start of the crisis, and I count on all ITU partners
in Japan to help carry this vision forward.
I commend the Government of Japan for supporting ITU in
its efforts to expand access to affordable and reliable connectivity
in some of the least well-connected countries in the responseto and aftermath of the pandemic through initiatives such as
Connect2Recover. The foundational work of this initiative on
data, resilience and policy will help support other landmark
initiatives like Giga, the joint ITU-UNICEF global initiative toconnect every school to the Internet by 2030.
All these initiatives harness the power of ICTs and emerging

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technologies ranging from AI to 5G to accelerate progress on
the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and addresshumanity’s most pressing challenges. As a long-established global
source of ICT innovation and a leader in important areas of ITU’swork, Japan has a prominent role to play in this endeavour.
I applaud Japan’s mobile operators for accelerating their 5Groll out since the start of 2021. ITU plays a central part in thedevelopment of 5G mobile networks by both managing theradio spectrum and developing globally applicable standards forInternational Mobile Telecommunications (IMT), such as thedetailed specifications of the terrestrial radio interfaces of IMT2020 published by ITU in February 2021.
The year ahead will be a big year for ITU and the worldof ICT, with the World Telecommunication Standardization
Assembly, the World Telecommunication Development
Conference and the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference 2022 allbeing held in the span of a single year. I am confident that Japan
will take an active part in these conferences and in bringing thebenefits of digital transformation to all.
I thank the Government of Japan for its role in thedevelopment of ICTs and its significant financial support to ITU,
as well as the many Japanese companies that are Sector Membersof ITU and our Japanese Academia Members for providing ITU
with valuable technical expertise.
As 2021 marked the 50th anniversary of the ITU Associationof Japan, we at ITU are grateful for the continued support we havereceived from ITU-AJ and look forward to what this partnershipwill bring for the next 50 years to come.
Wishing you all a healthy, peaceful, and happy New Year!

Welcoming in the New Year

Tetsuo Yamakawa

President
The ITU Association of JapanW

ishing Everyone a Very Happy New Year!
As we look back on 2021, we can see thatthe number of COVID-19 cases in Japan began
to drop from early autumn, bringing some relief to society. From
here on, we must keep a close watch on social trends, but wecan assume that the “with-corona” lifestyle brought on by thewidespread use of teleworking, online meetings, and webinars
will continue thanks to the distinctive features of these formats. I
expect 2022 to be an outstanding year filled with new trends andlively activities using information and communications technology(ICT).
Looking back at last year’s International Telecommunication
Union (ITU) and Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT) meetingsand events that the ITU Association of Japan (ITU-AJ) was
involved in, many were postponed or held online.
At ITU-AJ, we held the 50th Anniversary Ceremony of The
ITU Association of Japan in an online format on September 1,
2021. This ceremony included the presentation of various awards.
Mr. Yoshio Utsumi was presented with the MIC Minister’sAward and ITU-AJ 50th Anniversary Honor Award, and Dr.
Yasuhiko Ito, Dr. Akira Hashimoto, and Mr. Makoto Miura
were presented with the MIC Minister’s Award and ITU-AJ
50th Anniversary Special Award. In addition, 11 individuals were
presented with the ITU- AJ 50th Anniversary Commemorative
Award and 3 individuals were presented with the ITU-AJ Special
Achievement Award. I extend my congratulations to all award
winners! Then, in the second half of the ceremony, we held an
online panel discussion with Mr. Houlin Zhao, Secretary-Generalof ITU, Mr. Masanori Kondo, Secretary General of Asia-PacificTelecommunity, and Mr. Yasuo Tawara, Director-General of
Global Strategy Bureau, MIC.
Continuing on, “Celebration of World Telecommunication
and Information Society Day” postponed from May was held
on November 30, 2021 at the Keio Plaza Hotel and distributed
online. At this event, Mr. Yoichi Maeda (Telecommunication
Technology Committee), who has long been involved ininternational standardization activities at ITU and APT, waspresented with the MIC Minister’s Award, and the Fight against
COVID-19 using Fugaku: Droplet Simulation Project Team
(representative researcher: Makoto Tsubokura, RIKEN) at
RIKEN was presented with a Special Award. In addition, 9

individuals were presented with the Achievement Award and 16
individuals and 4 groups were presented with the Encouragement
Award. Congratulations to one and all!
This year, we can expect commercial services of the fifthgeneration mobile communications system (5G) to expand andevolve. Hopes are high that ICT technologies including 5G
will help solve social problems and drive a quantum leap toward
Society 5.0. At the same time, there is a need for awareness-raising
activities about carbon neutrality as a global movement.
In relation to ITU, the World Telecommunication
Standardization Assembly (WTSA) is scheduled to be held inMarch 2022 and the World Telecommunication Development
Conference (WTDC) in June 2022. Then, in September andOctober, the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference will be held in
Romania making 2022 a milestone year indeed. This is a truly
important meeting since Japan will be backing Seizo Onoe, Chief
Standardization Strategy Officer (CSSO) at NTT, as a candidatefor director of the ITU Telecommunication Standardization
Sector (ITU-T). Based on our experiences to date, ITU-AJ willcontinue to provide flexible support for ITU and APT meetingsand events while collaborating with all concerned.
I would like to extend my appreciation for the support given
by many to ITU-AJ over many years. Going forward, we will
enhance our efforts in building a strong bridge between the ITU
on one side and the Japanese government and our supporting
members on the other.
In closing, I would like to pass on my sincere wishes toeveryone for a healthy and prosperous New Year.
■ Guests and Award Winners

New Breeze Winter 20223

Co-creation Activities through “LOCAL 5G OPEN LAB”

Norikazu Watanabe

New Business Development Headquarters
NTT East

1．Introduction“Local 5G” refers to 5th Generation of Mobile Communication System (5G) that can be constructed and used in a flexible
manner by a variety of entities according to regional and individual
industrial needs[1]. It is anticipated that Local 5G will be used inregions in which 5G coverage by mobile operators cannot be provided anytime soon and be used in new ways by exploiting the 5Gfeatures of high-speed, large-capacity communications, wide-areacoverage, etc. compared with Wi-Fi.
Given the expanding use of mobile devices such as
smartphones, NTT East has been providing private network
services including Wi-Fi to corporate customers since 2011. It
has so far introduced more than 200,000 Wi-Fi access points aspart of its “Giga-Raku WiFi” service. It is also promoting theconstruction of “Low Power Wide Area (LPWA)” networks suchas LoRa and Enocean in fields that need wide-area coverage suchas agriculture and river monitoring by local governments.
Local 5G is also expected to be used as a private network forcorporate customers, and NTT East aims to provide a lineupof Local 5G end-point solutions for needs that have so far beendifficult to satisfy by Wi-Fi or similar services.

This article introduces examples of co-creation activities
between NTT East and various partners centered about “LOCAL
5G OPEN LAB,” which has been working on various projects
since the Japanese government began accepting applications forlicenses to operate Local 5G.

2．LOCAL 5G OPEN LAB

2.1 Background to establishment
Local 5G is expected to meet the latent needs[2] of users andregional companies with no specialized knowledge of wireless or
network technologies. On the other hand, barriers to its use are
not necessarily low given the need to obtain an operating radio
license at the time of implementation and to procure equipmentthat has yet to drop in price. Against this background, NTT East
and The University of Tokyo (Nakao Research Laboratory) jointly
established “LOCAL 5G OPEN LAB” in October 2019 asJapan’s first industry-academia joint demonstration environment
with the aim of demonstrating Local 5G use cases in which local
governments and companies can openly participate[3]. Then, in
February 2020, NTT East concluded a collaboration agreementwith the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and The University■ Figure 1: Overview of LOCAL 5G OPEN LAB

Participating Entities

Companies, local governments,
universities, etc.

Smart Innovation Lab

GPU server
Co-creation

Secure, low delay

LOCAL 5G OPEN LAB
EASTHongo Campus,
The University of TokyoNTT Central Training Center

Local 5G, private LTE (sXGP) environment

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■ Figure 2: Interior of LOCAL 5G OPEN LAB

of Tokyo on deploying and using Local 5G environments[4].
This agreement marked the beginning of research and testingat LOCAL 5G OPEN LAB and elsewhere with the aim ofrevitalizing industry and fostering innovation.
By the end of 2020, LOCAL 5G OPEN LAB had held
discussions (including tours of facilities) with over 100 local
governments and companies on the holding of demonstrations.
In this article, we provide an overview of the same facilities
and take up to two examples of demonstrations centered aboutcollaborations with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.

○ Open space
Provides individual booths for concentrating on work as wellas co-working space and solutions exhibition space○ Conference room
Provides space for meetings after testing, for consultation
purposes, etc.
○ Collaboration with Smart Innovation Lab
LOCAL 5G OPEN LAB works with Smart Innovation Lab,a joint demonstration environment having GPU resources,
towards the social implementation of AI and IoT technologies.

2.2 Demonstration environment (as of December 2020)
At LOCAL 5G OPEN LAB, a demonstration environmenthas been set up for multivendor systems supporting a millimeterwave frequency band (28.2 – 28.3 GHz), which was systematizedin December 2019. Going forward, there are plans to support
systems using the Sub6 (4.7 GHz) band launched in December
2020. Specifications for this demonstration environment as ofDecember 2020 are given below.
○ Testing room
Provides a closed testing space about 100 square meters in size;
equipment may be carried in.
・Local 5G non-standalone (NSA) (28.2 GHz – 28.3 GHz
band)
・L ocal 5G-supporting terminals (customer premises
equipment (CPE))・Shield box (anechoic chamber)

3．Examples of Collaborative Projects with
Partners

3.1	Collaboration with Tokyo Metropolitan Industrial
Technology Research InstituteTokyo Metropolitan Government, The University of Tokyo,
and NTT East have entered into an agreement on the use of
Local 5G. In June 2020, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government
began to acquire licenses for Local 5G base stations for use by
local governments, and in October 2020, set up a Local 5G
environment in a millimeter-wave band at Tokyo Metropolitan
Industrial Technology Research Institute (TIRI). TIRI supports
the social implementation of cutting-edge technologies with afocus on small and medium-sized enterprises and promotes thedigital transformation (DX) of society. As a public testing/researchlaboratory, it was the first in Japan to set up Local 5G base stations
to provide comprehensive support for using Local 5G, robotic

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5

■ Figure 3: Overview of “Collaboration Agreement on Deploying and Using Local 5G
Environments”■ Figure 4: Demonstration environment at Tokyo Metropolitan Industrial Technology
Research Institute■ Figure 5: Test site at LOCAL 5G OPEN LAB

technologies, and IoT technologies[5].
Going forward, the plan is to create use cases that give
5G functions to robots, IoT technologies, etc. and to support
performance evaluations of developed products such as
5G-compliant devices.

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3.2	Collaboration with Tokyo Development Foundation for
Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries
In the area of primary industries, NTT East has enteredinto a three-party collaboration with the Tokyo Development
Foundation for Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, a public-interest incorporated foundation and policy-linked body of theTokyo Metropolitan Government, and NTT AgriTechnology
Corporation, a company specializing in “agriculture × ICT,” withthe aim of implementing cutting-edge agriculture using Local
5G[6].
This collaborative project aims to achieve high-quality
and efficient activities by using ultra-high-definition cameras,
smart glasses, and autonomous driving robots to perform remotemonitoring and support to enable remote farming in placeof support activities that have traditionally been provided byagricultural instructors in the field. In the future, moreover, we
can envision optimal support of farm operations based on data.
This may take the form of diagnosing growing conditions as well
as disease-and-pests conditions from collected video or displaying
real-time information using smart glasses.
In December 2020, a test site connectable to the 5G system of
LOCAL 5G OPEN LAB was constructed and demonstrations
using millimeter waves began.

4．Conclusion
Local 5G is expected to meet regional needs and individual
industrial needs, so there is a particular need for co-creation
activities with partners that are facing such latent needs. Against
this background, we presented examples of co-creation between
NTT East and diverse corporate partners centered about LOCAL
5G OPEN LAB.
To further promote co-creation activities with even morepartners at LOCAL 5G OPEN LAB as an open site fordemonstrating Local 5G technologies, the plan is to expand
support to Sub6 (4.7 GHz) band environments and multivendor,

outdoor demonstration environments as the need arises.
Moreover, in addition to LOCAL 5G OPEN LAB, NTT
East is managing co-creation facilities that have the potentialof regional revitalization. These include “eXeField Akiba,” anEsports facility of NTTe-Sports, NTT AgriTechnology’s “ownfarm” in Yamanashi Prefecture in Japan, and a cultural facilityof NTT ArtTechnology. We aim to link these facilities with
LOCAL 5G OPEN LAB and establish a system that can provide
a range of services from administration to Local 5G technologies
in a one-stop manner. In this way, we hope to accelerate initiatives
toward the implementation of Local 5G in society.
References[1] [2]	Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC): “Information andCommunications in Japan—White Paper 2020.” MIC. 2020-8-4.
https://www.soumu.go.jp/johotsusintokei/whitepaper/index.html (last referenced 202101-15)[3] 	The University of Tokyo Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Information Studies, Nippon
Telegraph and Telephone East Corporation (NTT East): Establishment of Japan’s First
Industry-Academia Joint “LOCAL 5G OPEN LAB” by The University of Tokyo and NTT
East.” NTT East. 2019-10-18. (in Japanese)
https:/www.ntt-east.co.jp/release/detail/20191018_01.html (last referenced 2021-01-15)[4]	Tokyo Metropolitan Government, The University of Tokyo, Nippon Telegraph andTelephone East Corporation (NTT East): Conclusion of a Three-Party Agreement on the
Use of Local 5G.” NTT East. 2020-2-21. (in Japanese)
https:/ www.ntt-east.co.jp/release/detail/20200221_02.html (last referenced 2021-0115)[5]	Tokyo Metropolitan Industrial Technology Research Institute: “Opening of ‘DX Promotion
Center’ for Comprehensive Support of Local 5G, Robotic Technologies, and IoT
Technologies.” Tokyo Metropolitan Industrial Technology Research Institute. 2020-1022. (in Japanese)
https:/www.iri-tokyo.jp/uploaded/release/detail/20200221_02.html (last referenced
2021-01-15)[6] 	Tokyo Metropolitan Government Bureau of Industrial and Labor Affairs, Nippon
Telegraph and Telephone East Corporation (NTT East), NTT AgriTechnology
Corporation: “Collaboration Agreement on Implementing Cutting-Edge Agriculture using
Local 5G.” NTT East. 2020-4-3. (in Japanese)
https:/www.ntt-east.co.jp/release/detail/20200403_01.html (last referenced 2021-01-15)■ Figure 6: O utlook for LOCAL 5G OPEN LAB

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Opening the Future of Private 5G through Collaboration
Fujitsu’s Private 5G Initiatives
Takashi Kanda

Executive Director
5G Vertical Service Office, Fujitsu

1. Introduction

Private 5G in Japan is currently in an introductory period,
but with the institutionalization of private 5G in December
2020 together with increasing recognition and an increasing
number of system launches, it looks to be entering a growth
period. To this end and to broaden the type of use cases in which
private 5G can be effective, many demonstrations using 5G havecome to be performed such as “Development Demonstrations
for Realizing Local 5G Services to Solve Local Issues”[1]. In
the case of 5G, there are an extremely large variety of use casesand devices targeted for connection, and it is expected that
5G systems and services, in addition to being evolved forms ofcurrent systems and services, will break new ground and drive an
increase in totally new communication scenarios. In particular, theconstruction of a system using private 5G will require a proposal
for a comprehensive solution[2]. This will involve, for example,
the construction and rollout of a high-reliability network with alevel of performance optimal for the target use case and business
scheme as well as the use of an advanced data center and cloud forusing 5G functions to the fullest at the system level.
In this article, section 2 describes the institutionalization ofprivate 5G in December 2020, section 3 explains the need forcomprehensive solutions in the implementation of private 5G, andsection 4 and later sections introduce a “partnership program” inwhich Fujitsu and partner companies integrate their respective
know-how and products/services into systems with the aim ofsolving corporate and social issues.

2. Institutionalization Revision of Private 5G

Private 5G was first institutionalized with a partial frequency
band (28.2 – 28.3 GHz) in December 2019[3]. Then, to support
a variety of private 5G needs, an institutional revision wasmade including an expansion of private 5G frequency bands inDecember 2020[4].
Compared with the previously institutionalized millimeterwaveband, the added Sub6 band features a wide communication
range robust to physical obstacles. The Sub6 enables early systemconstruction using either a 4G-based non-standalone (NSA)
system with Sub6 serving as an anchor for control signals or astandalone (SA) system using only 5G signals. This approach
minimizes the number of devices needed to build a system andsimplifies system construction, operation, and maintenance.
Main institutional revisions to private 5G including this Sub6
band addition are summarized below.
• Addition of Sub6 band (4.6 – 4.9 GHz)

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• Expansion of millimeter-wave bandwidth (28.3 – 29.1 GHz)
• Use of another’s ground (added to use of one’s own grounds
under certain conditions)• Addition of anchor band (1.9 GHz)
• Simplification of modification procedures• Addition of asynchronous/semi-synchronous operation
This new institutionalization of private 5G went into effecton December 18, 2020 and the acceptance of license applications
for these expanded private 5G frequency bands commenced
on the same day. Applicants included manufacturers, regional
communication operators, universities, and regional publicbodies[5]. Fujitsu also submitted license applications for its inhouse developed Sub6 SA system and for millimeter-wave
frequency-band expansion at multiple bases including Fujitsu
manufacturing plants.
At the Fifth Generation Mobile Communication Promotion
Forum (5GMF) [6] , the Regional Utilization Promotion
Committee where I serve as deputy chairman has created andreleased a manual that details the procedures involved in applying
for private 5G licenses with a focus on participating companies[7].
The latest version of this manual reflects the institutionalization ofprivate 5G in December 2020.

3. Need for Comprehensive Solutions

Fujitsu received Japan’s first commercial private 5G licensefrom the Kanto Bureau of Telecommunications, Ministry ofInternal Affairs and Communications (MIC) in March 2020[8]and begin operating a private 5G network at its Shin-Kawasaki
Technology Square office (location: Kawasaki City, Kanagawa
Prefecture)[9]. With this network, Fujitsu will implement crimeprevention measures in the building by using private 5G totransmit high-definition video collected by multi-point cameras
and analyzing various types of human behavior by AI thereby
achieving a security system that can detect suspicious behavior
early. System configuration is shown in Figure 1.
A surveillance system of this kind requires the constructionof a system that can perform detection through video and datacollected from on-site high-definition cameras and a variety of
sensors, accurately determine on-site conditions by analyzing thatvideo and data, and immediately feed back analysis results to thatsite. It is important here that the 5G features of high speed andlarge capacity, low latency, and massive connectivity be used tothe maximum as needed in a flexible manner. However, a highperformance surveillance system cannot be achieved by providing
5G support for only base stations and terminals. In other words,

■ Figure 1: Configuration of security system using private 5G■ Figure 2: Fujitsu Collaboration Lab

a comprehensive combination of technologies is essential, such as
digitalizing real-world information at “sensors,” converting that
information to value by “AI,” and connecting that value by “5G”
while ensuring “security.” Linking technologies in this way has thepotential of creating new work styles never before imagined andrevolutionizing not only the means of doing business but businessitself.

4. Private 5G Partnership Program

Putting technology to practical use while co-creating withdiverse partners and fostering innovation is an important key
to solving a variety of social issues. To this end, Fujitsu has

established a “Private 5G Partnership Program”[10] to integrate
solutions based on the knowledge and products/services of Fujitsu
and its partner companies and “Fujitsu Collaboration Lab”[11](Figure 2) (location: Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture) as a
facility for verifying those solutions.
In this way, Fujitsu is providing private 5G network
technology and a wide range of industry know-how at the
program’s site to create and realize private 5G use cases together
with partner companies possessing advanced technologies.
Support is also provided for implementing use cases at customers’sites. In addition to testing connections to a private 5G network,
participants in the Private 5G Partnership Program can create

New Breeze Winter 20229

solutions that include devices and applications of partnercompanies and propose solutions to specific problems. The
Private 5G Partnership Program consists of the following two
subprograms:(1) Connection verification program(2) Solution co-creation program
4.1 Connection verification programThis program verifies interoperability between Fujitsu’s
network and products to be connected to a private 5G network.
The testing consists of connection verification and performance
tests, and determining the actual items to be tested according to
the types and specifications of target devices (which may include avariety of sensors, cameras, unmanned vehicles, and IoT gateways)
is included. Fujitsu is testing private 5G terminals in collaboration
with Japanese and overseas partner companies with the support ofcommunications chip manufacturers and is working on expanding
the lineup of private 5G terminals that currently come in only a
few types.
4.2 Solution co-creation programThis program drives business innovation and co-creates
solutions to problems faced by companies and society using private
5G by integrating Fujitsu’s network technologies and wide range
of industry know-how with the products, services, and advanced
technologies of partner companies. It features the following threecomponents.
(1) Collaborative study of co-created solutions
Performs collaborative studies of solutions based on thedevices, private 5G, applications, knowledge, etc. brought by eachcompany participating in the Private 5G Partnership Program(2) Tests and demonstrations of co-created solutions
Performs technical tests of collaboratively studied solutions
within a private 5G network environment(3) Collaborative demonstrations and proposals
Performs collaborative demonstrations and proposals withrespect to studied solutions for companies and local governmentsthat are contemplating the introduction of private 5G.

5. Fujitsu Collaboration Lab

This section introduces Fujitsu Collaboration Lab as a
facility for co-creating solutions using private 5G and verifying
connection with a variety of devices.
The private 5G network presently being used at this facility is
configured with a NSA system consisting of millimeter-wave 5G
and 2.5-GHz-band 4G and a Sub6 SA system as well. In addition
to private 5G network equipment, Fujitsu Collaboration Lab
provides a variety of measuring instruments and monitors as wellas the equipment and materials needed for reproducing a pseudoenvironment for radio-wave propagation. These provisions enable
the construction of a test environment corresponding to the target
usage scenario. The facility is also equipped with 4K cameras
and other devices that enable testing using the “transmission ofhigh-definition video” based on the private 5G feature of stable,
large-capacity communications (Figure 3). There is also a space for
conducting tests with partner companies and a working area fordevelopment work and meetings, all of which facilitate connection
verification and solution co-creation.

6. Example of Solution Co-creation

This section presents an actual example of solution cocreation. In this example, Fujitsu collaborated with Microsoft
Japan Ltd. to verify the effectiveness of a system that uses private
5G to visualize data within a manufacturing site in real timewith a view to the digital transformation (DX) of manufacturing
sites[12].
Using Fujitsu’s private 5G network at the Fujitsu Collaboration
Lab, this system analyzes high-definition video of people,
unmanned vehicles, etc. moving within the facility and operating
data obtained from cameras, mobile terminals, servers, andother devices on an edge-computing platform. It also performs
unified visualization of human behavior, the control of unmanned
vehicles, and equipment operating conditions on industry
applications. Integrating private 5G with edge computing and a
cloud system in this way achieves a system optimized for network
and application processing loads.

■ Figure 3: Connection verification environment

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6.1 Purpose of test
The purpose of this test was to verify the usefulness of a
private 5G use case envisioned for manufacturing sites and theeffectiveness of a system that integrates edge computing using
private 5G and a cloud system.
• Verify the effectiveness of integrating a private 5G networkwith an edge-computing platform and cloud system• Achieve video analysis and real-time processing throughedge computing• A chieve uniform management of site equipment andinformation on the cloud
6.2 System overview
System overview is shown in Figure 4. In this test
configuration, the system uses edge computing to perform AI

analysis of large-capacity video data with the aim of achieving“real-time sensing by high-definition video analysis” using private
5G. It also implements a cloud-linking function for visualizing theanalyzed real-time data, performing a statistical analysis on thatdata, and linking analyzed data between sites. The system includes
a distribution function for edge servers to support version upgradesof AI functions.
(1) Transmit high-definition video capturing the movements ofpeople and unmanned vehicles and operating data obtained
from mobile terminals, servers, and other devices to edge
computing via private 5G(2) Perform video analysis by AI of the movements of people andunmanned vehicles on the edge-computing platform and use theresults of analysis to perform remote control (Figures 5 and 6)(3) Transfer analyzed data to the cloud system■ Figure 4: Test configuration of system integrating private 5G, edge computing, and cloud■ Figure 5: Joint testing of high-definition video analysis using edge computing

Video analysis (edge computing)Testing work

■ Figure 6: J oint testing of unmanned vehicles using edge computing

Video analysis, position detection(edge computing)

Prototype of unmanned vehicle
equipped with a camera and5G communication module

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■ Figure 7: Dashboard display screen (cloud)(4) Coordinate business applications on the cloud system andvisualize the accumulated analyzed data (density of people,
positions of unmanned vehicles, paths of movement, operating
conditions of high-definition cameras, mobile terminals,
servers, and other devices within the site) on a dashboard(Figure 7).
(5) Manage the versions of edge applications such as AI-based
video analysis on the cloud system and distribute applications
to edge computing.
6.3 Test results
We achieved a system optimized for network and application
processing loads by integrating private 5G, edge computing,and a cloud system. This confirms that the system is effective
for operating unmanned vehicles and performing remotemonitoring/control using high-definition video as envisioned for
manufacturing sites.
At Fujitsu’s Oyama plant (location: Oyama City, Tochigi
Prefecture), a manufacturing base for Fujitsu network equipment,
Fujitsu is working with Fujitsu Telecom Networks Limited,which is involved in the manufacturing of this equipment, totest the utility of products and systems tested in the Private 5G
Partnership Program. Here, the plan is to test support for work
procedures and the running of unmanned vehicles using highdefinition video and AI.

References[1] https://www.soumu.go.jp/main_sosiki/joho_tsusin/eng/pressrelease/2020/10/16_03.html[2] https://blog.global.fujitsu.com/fgb/technology-trends/?tags=5G[3]	https://www.soumu.go.jp/main_sosiki/joho_tsusin/eng/pressrelease/2019/12/17_6.html[4] https://www.soumu.go.jp/main_sosiki/joho_tsusin/eng/pressrelease/2020/12/11_03.html[5] https://www.soumu.go.jp/soutsu/kanto/press/2020/1218r1.html[6] https://5gmf.jp/en/[7] https://5gmf.jp/case/4484/[8] https://www.soumu.go.jp/soutsu/kanto/press/2020/0327r1.html[9] https://www.fujitsu.com/global/about/resources/news/press-releases/2020/0327-01.html[10] https://www.fujitsu.com/jp/services/local5g/partnership/[11] https://www.fujitsu.com/global/about/resources/news/press-releases/2020/1008-01.html[12] https://www.fujitsu.com/global/about/resources/news/press-releases/2020/1008-02.html

Cover Art

7．Conclusion
This article explained the need for comprehensive solutions
toward the use of private 5G and described a partnership program
now in progress.
Looking to the future, we can expect private 5G to undergo
a wide rollout to solve a variety of issues and to be widely usedin projects to provide support for solving both corporate andregional issues. Through its partnership program, Fujitsu seeks
to contribute to the solving of diverse social issues by engaging in
co-creation activities with a wide range of partners and combining
Fujitsu and partner technologies in an integrated manner.

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Kyotomeishonouchi Gionsha Secchiyuu(Gion Shrine in Snow)
Utagawa Hiroshige (1797~1858)
Collection of the Art Research Center (ARC)
Ritsumeikan University
Object number: arcBK06-0013_012

Mori Building 5G Plan

Soichi Watanabe

Director
eHills Corporation

1. Communication as urban infrastructure

Cities are formed according to the major t ypes ofinfrastructure of the era. The major infrastructure contributing to
the structure of modern cities is roadways. This is so obvious thatmodern people are scarcely aware of the fact that all homes facea roadway and people and goods move on these roadways, which
support people’s lives and activities in cities. In the outskirts ofcities throughout Japan, all kinds of shops can be seen along main
roadways.
Another infrastructure supporting cities is railways. Raillines stretch across major cities like a mesh and help to movepeople, even in medium-sized cities. Railways were the maintype of urban infrastructure in Japan before automobiles became
widespread in the late 1960s and early 1970s. There were railway
stations in the center of cities where people would gather, withdepartment stores and shopping areas nearby. When automobiles
become widespread, the weight of urban infrastructure
shifted from railways to roads, and shopping centers and othercommercial facilities in inner cities began to suffer while shopping
centers began to flourish in suburban areas.
For a long time before railways appeared, a main infrastructure
supporting cities was not railways or roads, but waterways.
Evidence that waterways were a primary type of infrastructure fortowns can be seen throughout Japan. Let’s look at two examples.
Figure 1 shows an Edo period riverside fish market near what
■ Figure 1: Late Edo period riverside fish market (nearcurrent Muromachi 1-chome, Nihonbashi
Tokyo). From “Famous Places in the Eastern
Capital: True View of Nihonbashi Bridge,
Together with a Complete View of the Fish
Market (Nihonbashi shinkei, narabi ni uoichi
zenzu), from the series Famous Places in the
Eastern Capital (Tôto meisho)

is now Muromachi1-chome in Nihonbashi, Tokyo. Shops lined
the sides of the waterway, and many boats came and went carrying
goods. Such scenes continued until World War II. In Edo towns,
waterways were heavily relied upon for the distribution of goods, sothey were lined with many stores. Tokyo’s waterways have since
fallen into the background, but they were firmly at the forefront
during the Edo period.
The other example that waterways played an important roleas infrastructure is Itsukushima Shrine (Figure 2), which is a
UNESCO World Heritage Site.
■ Figure 2: Itsukushima Shrine

Itsukushima Shrine, said to have been built during the eraof Empress Suiko in around 600 AD, is famous for its “floating”
torii gate. The torii gate is on the approach to the front of a shrine,
and its location in the sea meant that the waterway was the formal
entrance to the shrine and therefore the formal approach forworshipping was done by boat. The reason for worshippingby boat
can be understood by looking at the local shipping routes at thetime (Figure 3).
■ Figure 3: ajor shipping routes of Inland Sea duringTenpyo Era (around 750 AD). Based on “Ancientstates and transportation on Seto Inland Sea,”
Hironobu Matsubara, 2004.
KATAKAMI NO TSUMURO NO TSU

Itsukushima Shrine

SABATSUMARIHUNO URAKUMAGENO URAKAYANO NO TSUNANIWAZUAKASHI NO URAUSHIMADOTAMANO URANAGAI
KOJIMANO URA
KAZAHAYA SHIKINANO URA
NAGATONO URASUMINOE
NO TSUUTATSUTADOTSU
Oyamazumi Shrine

TOSA DOMARIKINOMINATO

NIKITATSUHIWASA

WAMANOURA KUNISAKITSU

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At the time, the inland sea was a major artery for the
movement of people and goods, connecting ancient Nara, theChugoku, Shikoku and Kyushu regions, and even the Korean
peninsula.
In current terms, it was equivalent to an expressway. Ships
traveled this “expressway,” so the location of Itsukushima Shrineon this important route was like a service center on a modern
expressway, which is why passing ships would stop to visit theshrine.
As such, waterways constituted the main infrastructure for
cities from the Asuka era through Edo and into the Meiji era,but this role gradually shifted to rail during Meiji and then began
shifting to roads in the Showa era. This is illustrated in Figure 4.

Telecommunication is very different because it moves
information entirely independently of a physical process, and thishas exactly the opposite effect on cities. Moving physical things
efficiently requires reduction of distances and time, which resultsin the formation of more centralized and highly concentrated
cities. Centralizing everything as much as possible increases
efficiency. Conversely, rather than concentrating informationin one place, efficient transmission of information is achieved
through sharing. Information is more efficient when people sharethe same information, and having information in only one placeis not efficient. The effect on city formation is decentralization,
which is opposite to the effect of waterways, rail and roads(Figure 5).

■ Figure 4: Rates of contribution to urban infrastructure■ Figure 5: Effects of urban infrastructure

Communication

100%(2000)i-mode
Itsukushima Shrine (593)Roads

Contribution

Railway from Shimbashi to Yokohama (1872)

Sea, River, Canal(Water transport)

Urban
Infrastructure

Transport
Items

Roads

People

Rail

Goods

Railways
Waterways

593

1872 1900

1968

2000 2020

Telecommunications appeared as infrastructure in the 1990s,
and we can now see now how communication infrastructure has
impacted cities. From the time when telecom carrier DOCOMO
launched its i-mode mobile internet service in Japan in the late
1990s, the purchase of goods through the internet has increased
continuously. According to Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Tradeand Industry, sales of goods through the internet in 2018 reached
one billion yen, or over half the sales volume of department storesand supermarkets (1.94 billion yen).
Before sales became possible through the internet, people
made purchases at physical stores, which made such stores
absolutely necessary. This is not necessarily the case now, and as
a result, physical stores, including commercial areas around train
stations and in suburbs, have begun to decline. This is resulting inchanges in the structure of cities, including the further decline ofcommercial facilities around train stations and the thinning-out of
suburban shopping areas.

2. Infrastructure’s impact on city formation

So far, we have examined changes in urban infrastructure,including waterways, rail, roads and telecommunications, but the
impact of telecommunication on cities is very different from thatof waterways, roads and rail, so it is expected to greatly change thedirection of city formation.
Waterways, rail and roads are infrastructure for transporting
physical things, including people and goods. Of course,
information is also transported by people, but this is a secondary
effect.

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Telecom

Efficiency＝ Concentration

Information

Reduction of travel Distance

Information

Efficiency≠ Concentration≒ Sharing

Tomei Expressway
0%

Measure of
Efficiency

City formation

Centralization

Reduction of travel Time

Decentralization

Until now, this effect has not been particularly striking or
noticeable to people, but the COVID-19 pandemic instantly
brought it to the forefront. Before COVID-19, people were awareof the ideas of telework and web meetings, but few had any
opportunity to actually participate in such activities, nor did they
think that such methods were truly practical. Now, telework andweb meetings have permeated society in one fell swoop, promptedby COVID-19. The immediate switch to telework is evidence
that telecommunications as infrastructure has permeated society,but telework itself has also changed the way people think about
where to live. It has created the possibility of being decentralized
in suburbs or other regions rather than being centralized in cities,
unlike in the recent past. With fewer commutes into the cityand more time spent at home, employees are beginning to focus
more on the quality of their home environments and less ontheir commute times. As a result, people are considering moving
to the suburbs or regional communities where they can live inbetter environments with roomier homes. In fact, according to
the Report on Internal Migration in Japan from the Ministry ofInternal Affairs and Communications’ Statistics Bureau, people
began moving out of the 23 wards of Tokyo around May 2020and since that August, almost 5,000 people per month have been
exiting cities. The most popular destination has been Kanagawa
Prefecture, south of Tokyo, followed by Saitama Prefecture, northof Tokyo.
Similar trends have been observed overseas, such as reports ofhomes with gardens outside of London becoming more popular.

However, it does not mean that this trend will persist andpeople will continue to move out of large cities, making cities
decline further. Humans exist in the physical world, so urban
infrastructure, including roads and railways, will remain essential
and focused on centralization. In the future, therefore, the forcesof centralization and decentralization can be expected to compete
and over time they likely will reach some form of equilibrium.

3. What is required of communication?

Telecommunications now occupies an important position as
urban infrastructure, but it has come upon the scene relatively
recently and its functionality has not necessarily reached its fullpotential yet. In fact, the current functionality and capabilities oftelecommunication are said to be inadequate.
Urban infrastructure, including waterways, rail and roads,
share the essential role of distributing goods. Waterways transportlarge volumes of goods over long distances, rail transports
large numbers of people at high speed, and roadways transport
smaller numbers of people and goods but with the flexibility
to reach locations that waterways and rail cannot. As such,the combination of these three types of infrastructure meetsvarious types of demand. With telecommunications, however,relatively few types of service are available to users and the services
themselves do not differ among mobile carriers. If a user wants toutilize telecommunication in an uncommon way, the options arevery limited.
As an example, many people have experienced the problem
of unstable communication when engaged in telework or a web
meeting. During COVID-19, people have been taking part inweb meetings increasingly more often, and anyone who has done
so will have surely experienced someone in a meeting losing theirconnection or their image freezing. Of course, a large part of thisis the communication bandwidth of the service being used, butbasically it is a problem of speed. Generally, communication isprovided with speeds on the uplink (transmitting/uploading) anddownlink (receiving/downloading) in a ratio of roughly 1:2, withpriority given to the downlink. This is because when people use
the internet, they generally look at websites or video, so priority isgiven to the downlink. This is how communication environments
are configured at present. For a web meeting, users are alsotransmitting video of themselves, so a speed ratio of 1:1 would bedesirable, but carriers do not offer such a choice and users are left
with only 1:2 services.
Next, let’s consider the growing use of sensors and other IoT
devices in production sites. In facilities such as plants and factories,
IoT devices for measurement and control are being installed
to increase production efficiency, but wireless communication
systems are not optimized for this task. Installing optical or othercables would be the most reliable method, but most factories arelarge and various locations must be tested before deciding where
to install IoT devices, so costs and time make cables impractical.
With Wi-Fi, however, latency cannot be guaranteed andcommunication can be interrupted when there is congestion. Also,
on-site IT specialists are needed to maintain security at all times,

but this is not practical for most companies. There are carriers thatprovide guaranteed latency and high-security communication, butthese are expensive. In the end, there is no practical choice.
Meanwhile, telecommunications services currently provided
to homes and industrial buildings such as factories do not offer thenecessary range or types of functions essential for serving as basic
infrastructure.
Services that can overcome such limitations include local LTE(4G) and local 5G. In particular, local 5G provides the capabilities
required by industry, including ultra-high speed, low latency andmassive simultaneous connections. It also offers strong security
through the use of changeable SIM cards. Further, users canflexibly realize desirable communication environment with the useof advanced technologies such as slicing.
Telecom carriers now fulfill the role of seamlessly connecting
the entire country, similar to waterways, rail and highways. If local
5G could handle the last mile from main lines to homes, enablingusers to freely configure various services, telecommunications will
be able to guarantee the functionality and freedom required to beconsidered a genuine urban infrastructure.

4. Local 5G and Mori Building

As shown, local 5G is a technology capable of supportingand even transforming activity in cities, as urban infrastructure.
Mori Building is now considering deploying local 5G to create
communities where people living and working in cities will be able
to enjoy tremendous convenience in their lives and work.
Communication nodes linking telework and satellite offices
Whereas the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to wind down
eventually, we have seen that telework is possible in a practicalsense, so it is expected to continue to be used. That said, this does
not mean that offices in city centers will disappear. But how thisnew form of telework will be integrated with existing ways ofworking in offices will need to be considered carefully.
Part of the challenge will be to provide opportunities for “fivesense” communication, something that has been diminished by
telework. With telework, it is difficult to feel beyond words, withall five senses, as we can when communicating with someone inperson face to face. Subtle nuances, such as atmosphere, gesturesand even handshakes, can be lost in digital communication. It
is said that in enterprises, new business ideas often arise in lively
discussions among people in a room or during idle talk amongcolleagues. In the future, there will be a need for the kind of
five-sense communication that is possible when people gather
in a downtown office but not during telework. Mechanisms andenvironments to make this happen will be needed.
One prerequisite for this will be communication nodes withthe functionality to enable work and communication to proceedsmoothly and securely between offices, satellite offices andtelework locations (Figure 6).
Advanced security is necessary when handling important
corporate information at homes, satellite offices and other external
locations. Network management departments in every enterprise

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■ Figure 6: M ori Building local 5G overview

Mori Building Local 5G Network
5G (Telecom Carrier)
Building Systems
Tenant A

SIM Authentication

In-house LAN A

Tenant B

Tenant C

In-house LAN B

Autonomous Cars

In-house LAN C

make use of various technologies to maintain security, but whenemployees use these systems off-premises, as with telework andsatellite offices, it can be practically impossible to manage all cases.
It is also difficult for employees working externally to perfectly
perform the many and often complex security procedures required.
As such, it is becoming necessary to incorporate local 5G intobusiness, enabling companies to control their own communicationand provide advanced security by only using SIM cards. With
this solution, as long as local 5G is deployed in the main, satellite
offices and other locations such as resorts or “workation” spots,
every company can ensure highly secure communication amonginternal locations, work can be done safely and the company
intranet can be accessed securely from any of these locations.
The same measures will be deployable for telework by
combining local 5G with a carrier’s roaming mechanism. One day
it likely will be a standard practice to install local 5G base stations
in downtown offices.
Self-driving valet services for building parking
The appearance of self-driving vehicles in cities will havea huge impact. Less-mobile people suddenly will be able to go
anywhere they want, whenever they want, and with fewer traffic
accidents than at present. An example of this phenomenon will
be self-driving in building parking lots. With this technology,
drivers will be able to leave their vehicles at building entrances
and the vehicle will proceed to a parking space on its own. If atime to return is set, the vehicle could be ready and waiting at theappointed time, similar to a hotel valet service, at any building.

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Shopping facilities lose sales opportunities due to customers
waiting to enter parking areas during holidays and other busy
times. If this same time could be spent inside, sales would likely
increase. If self-driving technology were available in officebuildings and apartment buildings, parking areas would no longer
need to be within a building itself, since available spaces nearby
also could be used for parking.
Establishing this technology will require the introductionof local 5G. Inside a building, where GPS is not available, it isdifficult for a self-driving vehicles to determine its location. Local
5G would enable a building to communicate with self-driving
vehicles to provide information on building access, the parkinglot entrance, lanes within the parking lot and available spaces forparking, allowing vehicles to operate indoors without a need for
AI. Local 5G, with its advanced security and low latency, will
enable this to become a reality.
The deployment of local 5G is also being considered forhandling sensitive information in residential facilities, forsupporting healthcare management through the use of sensors,and for providing added-value conveniences to building residents.

5. Conclusion

Local 5G technology will provide customized communication
services beyond those provided by carriers at the present time,and in user-friendly formats. It will require communication
carriers, vendors and users to collaborate to make this technology
even better. If this can be done, the promise of safer and moreconvenient cities would appear to be possible.

Overview of the 2021 White Paper on Information andCommunications
Economics Research Office, ICT Strategy Policy Division
Information and Communications Bureau
Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications
In this white paper, the special theme of Part 1 is “Livelihood
and Economy Supported by Digital Technologies,” reflecting
on Japan’s efforts toward digitalization, as well as the present
situation and challenges of digital utilization in daily life, in
corporate activities, and in the public sector. It also examines thechanges caused by digitalization accelerated by the COVID-19
pandemic. The white paper reports that it is necessary to improvethe digital utilization capabilities of the people and to promote
digital transformation in the private and the public sectors
strategically and seamlessly in order to realize a resilient societythat is capable of dealing with infectious diseases and natural
disasters. The white paper states that these initiatives entail theestablishment of common platforms for the digital society. In
addition, Part 2 provides the latest data on the current state of
information and communications in Japan, as well as the policy
trends centered on the efforts of the Ministry of Internal Affairs
and Communications (MIC). This article provides an overview ofPart 1.

1. History of digitalization in Japan(1) History of Japan’s digitalization policies
Since the enactment of the Basic Act on the Formation of an
Advanced Information and Telecommunications Network Society
in 2000, Japan has been promoting digitalization by laying down
various national strategies including the e-Japan Strategy in 2001.
The white paper highlights the goals and key initiatives of thenational strategies, dividing them into four phases; namely, thefirst phase of development of ICT infrastructure, the second phaseof promotion of ICT utilization, the third phase of promotion ofdigital data utilization, and the fourth phase of aiming to build adigital society.
(2) Progress of digitalization of Japanese society
The state of the uptake of ICT infrastructures in terms of
fixed-line communications shows that the number of FTTH
subscribers has increased rapidly since the late 2000s, and theratio of households with access to ultra-high-speed broadband hasreached 99.98 percent in 2015. The shift to broadband in mobile
communications has also continued, with more mobile devices
connecting to the Internet than PCs in 2010, and the ratio ofhouseholds with smartphones reaching more than 80% in 2019.
According to the OECD, the ratio of optical fiber for fixed-line
broadband in Japan ranked second in 2020, and mobile broadband
penetration ranked first in 2019.
Japan’s use of ICT infrastructure is progressing to a certain
degree, as shown by the scale of the e-commerce (BtoC) market
for daily life reaching approximately 19.4 trillion yen in 2019.

Meanwhile, in corporate activities, ICT investments have beensluggish, reaching only around 15.8 trillion yen in 2018. This
contrasts with the continually increasing ICT investments in the
U.S. There is also a shortage in ICT personnel of about 220,000
as of 2018, and it is estimated that there will be further shortages
in the future.
(3) Digitalization of Japan as measured by international
indicators
As to Japan’s global position in digitalization, for example, inthe digital competitiveness ranking by the International Institutefor Management Development (IMD), Japan ranked 27th
among 63 countries in 2020. In particular, Japan scored low in“international experience” and “digital/technological skills” for“talent,” and in “opportunities and threats,” “ agility of companies,”and “use of big data and analytics” for “business agility.”

2. Current situation and challenges ofdigitalization(1) C urrent state and challenges of digital utilization in dailylife
In a survey conducted by MIC among the general public,
when asked about the Internet services they normally use,
many respondents replied that they particularly use “Internet
shopping” and “payment and settlement (through credit cards,etc.)” (Figure 1). In addition, when asked about the reason for theslow progress of digitalization in society, most of the respondents
pointed out “anxiety about information security and privacy
breaches” (52%) and “lack of literacy among users” (44%).
Moreover, according to the Cabinet Off ice (2020)“Public Opinion Survey on Utilization of Information andCommunication Devices,” smartphone and tablet usage isparticularly low among people in their seventies or older (“notusing” is 50%). The top reasons cited were “not necessary forliving life” (52%), “not knowing how to use” (42%), and “relying
instead on family members” (40%). There is a need for initiatives
to support the use of digital technology so that older people are notleft behind by the digital society.

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■ Figure 1: Internet services for daily use(2) C urrent state and challenges of digital transformation of
corporate activities
In Japan, ICT has contributed to improving productivity amid
the decline of the productive-age population. However, the impact
of ICT’s contribution to improving productivity is not sufficientdue to the low amount of ICT investments and their being mostly
aimed at improving operational efficiency. Compared with the
U.S., Japan’s labor productivity remained at about 60% as of 2019.
The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted the acceleration ofdigitalization on a global scale, leading to changes in consumption
behavior, digital disruptions that force existing companies to exit
the market as digital companies enter, and acceleration of the■ Figure 2: Efforts for digital transformation (Japan)

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globalization of the digital market. For companies to survive, theymust use digital technologies to develop new products, services,and business models, and to transform their organizations,
corporate culture, and workstyles. In other words, they needto carry out “digital transformation (DX)” to create new added
values.
In a survey conducted by MIC among company workers
on the status of DX efforts in Japan, about 60% of companies
responded that they have “not implemented, and no future plans”
for DX. Detailed results show that DX initiatives are progressing
in some industries (Figure 2). In addition, while many of the
responses of companies in Japan cited “operational efficiency andcost reduction” (45%) as the purpose for implementing DX, manyof the responses in the U.S. and Germany pointed to “creationof new products and services” and “improvement of customer
satisfaction,” which are the primary objectives of DX. Regarding
DX issues, Japan had a significantly higher number of responses
pointing to “shortage of human resources” (53%) compared with
the U.S. and Germany. In addition to the lack in quantity andquality of ICT human resources, another problem in Japan is that
ICT human resources are skewed towards ICT companies rather
than user companies.
(3) Current state and challenges of digitalization in the
public sector
Since the formulation of the e-Japan Strategy, Japan has
taken steps to bring administrative procedures online, toreform government information systems, and to strengthen
IT governance. It has achieved a certain degree of success in
improving the efficiency of internal government organizations andin establishing systems and infrastructures. This is exemplified
by efforts to reduce the operating costs of information systems
through the implementation of the individual Number systemand the establishment of systems to accelerate the distribution
and utilization of administrative data. Even during the
COVID-19 pandemic, the government has also made good useof the “Mynaportal” for processing applications for special cash
payments. On the other hand, the complexity of the proceduresfor the administrative services that are provided to the public andbusiness operators remains an issue that needs to be addressed.
There is also a need for further dissemination of the use of

the individual number card. Residents are, therefore, not fully
enjoying the benefits of the use of digital technology.
As shown by the advanced digital government initiatives
overseas, many countries now have systems that enable carryingout various procedures on government portal sites. Denmark has
implemented thoroughly designed user-centric services, while
the U.K. has been working to improve services through agile
development on the basis of feedback from the citizens. South
Korea has required the use of a common standard framework forgovernment services and plans to deploy the framework overseas,
while the U.S. is actively promoting the introduction of cloudamong government agencies. Further, establishment of baseregistries is being promoted in the EU and other countries.
In March 2020, Japan compiled a “Grand Design for
Realizing Digital Government,” presenting the directions ofefforts to be taken towards the realization of administrative
services in 2030 along four pillars (Figure 3).

3. Acceleration of digitalization brought about
by the COVID-19 pandemic(1) E xpansion of digital utilization during the COVID-19
pandemic
During the COVID-19 pandemic, “nesting consumption”
has grown, and households using Internet shopping have been
increasing rapidly since March 2020. Also, the usage rate of paid
video streaming services has increased more than the previous
years in 2020.
In addition to the expansion of online consumption, Internet
traffic is also dramatically increasing due to telework and remote■ Figure 3: T he four pillars shown in the Grand Design

Source: M aterials of the Liaison Committee of the CIO of each Ministry and Office on March 31, 2020
*This is a tentative translation by our office.

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classes. On average, Internet traffic has been increasing by around
20% annually, but it increased by more than 50% in 2020.
(2) D igital utilization in the public sector during the
COVID-19 pandemic
In Japan, the national and local governments have
implemented various efforts using digital technologies toprovide prompt economic assistance to citizens and to monitor
the status of infections and risks in the regions. These efforts
have largely been considered as the result of the development ofdigital infrastructures for national and local governments andhave been hailed as landmark use cases in the introduction of
new development methods. However, they have also led to the
manifestation of problems related to the restrictions imposedby systems, rules, and customs, as well as issues related to
procurement and project management.
Governments overseas have also resorted to the use of digitaltechnologies during the COVID-19 pandemic. In Denmark,systems have been put in place to enable completing the processingof cash benefits online and for real-time monitoring of patientnumbers. In Korea, the government implemented prompt payment
of benefits through partnerships with credit card companies andshared the status of infections in real-time. Taiwan established a
name-based mask-rationing system and made the stock status of
medicines in pharmacies available as open data.

(3) Changes in corporate activities during the COVID-19
pandemic
While Japan’s corporate activities declined significantly inthe second quarter (April-June period) of 2020, the degree ofthe decline and the status of recovery vary by industry. In the
manufacturing sector, industries are recovering due to the recovery
in exports to the U.S. and China. In the non-manufacturingsector, retail and telecommunications have exhibited strong
performance due to the rise in Internet shopping and thedigitalization of companies; but face-to-face industries have beensluggish. Among the listed companies, GAFA and other “techcompanies” in the U.S. are seeing increased overall performance,and ICT-related industries in both Japan and the U.S. are
exhibiting significant gains in their market capitalization.
Moreover, although Japan has manifested a certain level ofentrenchment of telework, which is the typical example of thechanges in corporate activities during the COVID-19 pandemic,
its implementation rate differs depending on the industry, region,and size of the company. Also, the rate of telework implementationrose during the state of emergency but declined after it was lifted.
A recent survey by MIC aimed at the general public pointed tothe ease of taking time for self and family as a particular benefit oftelework (Figure 4). As to the challenges and barriers for telework,
many respondents particularly pointed out the unsuitability of thenature of their job and company systems to telework (Figure 5). It■ Figure 4: Advantages of telework■ Figure 5: C hallenges and barriers for telework (upper ranking choices)20

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is important to view telework as a means to realize the vision being
aimed at, rather than making the implementation of telework itself
as the ends.
(4) I ssues that emerged from the use of digital technologies
during the COVID-19 pandemic
With the rapid digitalization of the entire society during
the COVID-19 pandemic, various challenges toward therealization of a digital society have emerged. Regarding security
risks, according to the Information-technology Promotion
Agency (IPA) “Top 10 Threats to Information Security 2021,”
attacks targeting telework and other activities ranked new
for organizations, and threats to online payments and othertransactions ranked as the top threats for individuals. Improving
the literacy of users is also important in dealing with these security
risks.

4. Toward the realization of digitaltransformation that “leaves no one behind”
Going forward, Japan needs to build a society with a strong

resilience to deal with infectious diseases and natural disasters. It
needs to build a sustainable society that addresses issues—such as
the shrinkage of the working population and the domestic market
due to the declining and aging population and the reduction
in digital competitiveness due to the changes in the industrial
structure brought about by global digitalization—by increasing
productivity and creating new added values. Also, it needs to build
a society that can offer a diverse, rather than a one-size-fits-all,form of happiness, leaving no one behind.
To this end, initiatives to encourage users (the public) to use
digital technology (eliminating the digital divide, improving
digital literacy, and improving UI/UX), digital transformation(data distribution and collaboration, securing and developing
digital human resources, shift to open and cloud-based
systems, and work-style reform) of suppliers (private companies
and the public sector), and construction of common platforms(establishment of advanced information and communications
infrastructures, establishment of base registry, and ensuring safety
and security) must be promoted strategically and in a seamlessmanner.(Figure 6).

■ Figure 6: Digital transformation that “leaves no one behind” should be tackled strategically andin a seamless manner*UI stands for “user interface” and UX for “user experience.”*Words written in red are future policy challenges.

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30 November 2021 at the KEIO PLAZA HOTEL

通巻百三十三号

53rd Celebration of World Telecommunication andInformation Society Day
The ITU Association of Japan

Award winners and Honorable guests
l, Tokyo
Ceremony at the Keio Plaza Hote

The List of the Award Winners on 30 November 2021
(Affiliation is at time of nomination)

Anniversary Keynote Presentation:
Part II / Prof. TSUBOKURA Makoto
Team Leader, Complex Phenomena Unified
Simulation Research Team, RIKEN Center for
Computational Science

ITU-AJ Encouragement Awards

Mr. MAEDA Yoichi (TTC)

Mr. AOYAGI Kenichiro (NTT DOCOMO)
Mr. OHSEKI Takeo (KDDI Research)
Mr. KAMEI Masashi (NHK)Dr. KUBOTA Fumito (TELEC)
Dr. KURITA Daisuke (NTT DOCOMO)
Dr. SAKAMOTO Taiji (NTT)Mr. SAKAMOTO Nobuki (NTT DOCOMO)
Mr. SHITOMI Takuya (NHK)Mr. SEKINE Norio (NTT EAST-South KANTO)
Mr. TESHIMA Kunihiko (NTT DOCOMO)
Dr. TOUMURA Kunihiko (HITACHI)
Mr. TOKUSHIMA Yutaka (Instalimb)
Dr. NAGAO Jiro (NTT)Mr. FUJITA Kazunori (KDDI Foundation)
Ms. MINEMURA Takae (NTT EAST)
Dr. YOSHIKANE Noboru (KDDI Research)
Mr. FUKUMOTO Shiro, Mr. KOMATSU Hiroshi,
Mr. HUANG Jingyi, Mr. SAKATA Kentaro (SoftBank)
Croix Co.,Ltd.
Task Force for Next-generation Digital Terrestrial Television(ARIB)
Japan Battery Regeneration, Inc.

ITU-AJ Special Achievement AwardFight against COVID-19 using Fugaku : Droplet Simulation Project Team
/Researcher representative : Prof. TSUBOKURA Makoto, RIKEN

ITU-AJ Accomplishment Awards
Dr. KANI Jun-ichi (NTT)Mr. KITAJIMA Koji (KAI Solution)
Mr. TAKAGI Satoru (KDDI)Mr. TANIKAWA Kazunori (NEC)Mr. TAMURA Motoshi (NTT DOCOMO)
Mr. CHONO Keiichi (NEC)Mr. HOYA Hideo (BHN)
Mr. YAGO Ryoichi (Former employee of NTT EAST)
Dr. YAMAMOTO Hideki (OKI)

六、六〇〇円 （本体価格 六、〇〇〇円、消費税 六〇〇円）

MIC Minister’s Award一、六五〇円 （本体価格 一、五〇〇円、消費税 一五〇円） 年間購読料

Anniversary Keynote Presentation:
Part I / Prof. MATSUOKA Satoshi
Director, RIKEN Center for Computational
Science

一冊

Honorable Guest : Mr. HARA Keiichi
Deputy Assistant Minister, MOFA

Honorable Guest : Mr. SASAKI Yuji
Vice- Minister for Policy Coordination, MIC

定価

MIC Minister’s Award winnerMr. MAEDA Yoichi

ITU-AJ Special Achievement Award winner
Researcher representative Prof. TSUBOKURA Makoto
Prof. KAGI Naoki Prof. IIDA Akiyoshi